British Columbia–Entrepreneur Immigration–Regional Pilot

British Columbia – Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot

The BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) Regional Pilot aims to attract foreign entrepreneurs to start a business, create jobs and settle in regional centres and therefore contribute to their local economy.

Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Pilot Program is a two-year program set to be launched in January 2019. The program is a partnership between regional communities and the province of British Columbia which is focusing on attracting motivated entrepreneurs from around the world to set up new businesses in regional communities. It is designed to support and attract entrepreneurs with an aim to begin a new business and settle in regional communities.

“This initiative is intended to maximize the economic benefits of immigration to B.C. to support shared prosperity across the province,” according to BC PNP.

Features of Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Pilot Program:

• Community Role: All the participating communities will have an active role in the process by attracting the foreign entrepreneur for the community. They will also use their network to support the settlement of incoming entrepreneurs in the community.
• Referrals for BC PNP: Foreign entrepreneurs will have a chance to get referred to BC PNP by the participating communities.
• Community custodian: All the participating communities will be able to contact the program to access the services of a dedicated community concierge who can help and assist communities with their immigration needs.
• Referral prioritization: Referred foreign entrepreneurs by a participating community can register in a separate pool for the pilot program. Evaluated community registrations increase the chances of invitation which prioritizes the application process. Invitations will be done on a monthly basis.

Community Eligibility:

Communities must have a population of fewer than 75,000 and should be located beyond 30 kilometres of a municipality of more than 75,000. The communities have to demonstrate their capacity to help and assist foreign entrepreneurs using an established network of settlement and business support agencies.

A special immigration and pilot-specific training will be offered to the community representatives. The training must be completed before the enrollment is confirmed. This will allow communities to host exploratory visits and issue referrals for potential entrepreneurs.

Applicant criteria:

The criteria targets foreign entrepreneurs with a desire to start a business and settle in regional communities (populations of fewer than 75,000):

• exploratory community visit
• minimum of $100,000 in eligible business investments
• minimum personal net worth of $300,000
• minimum of 51% ownership
• minimum of 1 new job created (for a Canadian Citizen or a Permanent resident)

REGIONAL PILOT – COMMUNITY PROFILES

The following communities are participating in the Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot. Please note that each community may have its own unique process for arranging exploratory visits or issuing referrals to foreign entrepreneurs.
Before considering the Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot, you should familiarize yourself with the program criteria and check your eligibility.

Enrolled communities by Development Regions:

Cariboo

• Mackenzie
• Prince George
• Quesnel
• Williams Lake

Kootenay

• Castlegar
• Kimberley
• Nelson
• Regional District of Central Kootenay (Area J)
• Rossland
• Trail

Mainland/Southwest

• Gibsons
• Sechelt
• Squamish
• Sunshine Coast Regional District – Egmont and Pender Harbour (Area A)
• Sunshine Coast Regional District – Halfmoon Bay (Area B)
• Sunshine Coast Regional District – Roberts Creek (Area D)
• Sunshine Coast Regional District – Elphinstone (Area E)
• Sunshine Coast Regional District – West Howe Sound (Area F)

Nechako

• Burns Lake

North Coast

• Terrace

Northeast

• Tumbler Ridge

Thompson-Okanagan

• Barriere
• Merritt
• Vernon

Vancouver Island/Coast

• Comox
• Comox Valley Regional District – Baynes Sound – Denman/Hornby Island (Area A)
• Comox Valley Regional District – Lazo North (Area B)
• Comox Valley Regional District – Puntledge – Black Creek (Area C)
• Courtenay
• Port Alberni
• Powell River

Community Profiles (alphabetically listed):

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Source: https://www.welcomebc.ca/Immigrate-to-B-C/BC-PNP-Entrepreneur-Immigration/EI-Regional-Pilot-Community-Profiles#Courtenay

Check your eligibility and let our experience be your guide to apply for this pilot program by submitting the FREE ASSESSMENT